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Battalion/Page 9
December 7, 1982
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"THE. EnOTIOAd " PART 3 OF 8
HEJ.LO. WHATP NO, MERRITT'5
NOT HERE, HE'S... WHAT? WHEN?
15 SHE ALL RIGHT? YES... YES,
I'LL TELL HIM, W£.'LL &£ RIGHT
DOWN, THANK 100.
OH, YOU'RE BACK, THANK GOD, A
DOCTOR X05T CALLED FROM THE
HEALTH CENTER; CAROLINE'S BEEN
IN A CHEMISTRY LAB ACCIDENT.
DON’T PANIC! SHE’S NOT HURT,
BUT THERE'S SOMETHING
MYSTERIOUS...
THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT IT
IS AND WANT TO KNOW IF YOU,
HER BOYFRIEND, WILL COME HELP
THAT'5 RIDICULOUS, OF COURSE
WELL COME. HERE'S YOUR
JACKET, LETS TAKE THE
CAR AND...
OKAY, THEN I'LL TAKE
THE CAR...
Rickety bridge stands
three attempts to raze
Striking
demand
J United Press International
irni SMITH FI ELD, R.I. — Fif-
ment W 11 • . , . ,.
United Press International
BELLOWS LALLS, Vt. —
The 77-year-old Arch Bridge
was supposed to be so rickety it
was unsafe to walk on but de
molition workers failed to blow
it up in three tries.
“This is incredible, isn’t it?”
said Robert Duncan, foreman of
the crew that lost three rounds
to the stubborn 650-foot steel
suspension bridge over the Con
necticut River.
Workers realized they had se
riously underestimated the
bridge but planned to make
another try Monday with cutting
torches.
After each blast a cheering
crowd of 3,000 people ap
plauded the bridge that would
not die.
Duncan and his men gave up
after the third try Sunday and
said they would be back today to
cut the bridge’s supports with
blow torches.
The bridge, the longest sing
le-arch structure in the United
States when it was completed in
1905 between Bellows Falls, Vt.,'
and North Walpole, N.H., was
closed to vehicular traffic in Sep- 1
tember 1971 after the New
Hampshire Highway Depart^
ment said stress points in th€
structure were weakening.
ten Coni
tten wives are striking for atten-
™ tion and affection from their
treated
it if com
sion, pos
nment il.
s
husbands, while husbands stand
subjected to the snickers of co-
A'orkers.
The men have stubbornly re
sisted their wives’ demands for
nore romance and help around
he house since the women went
m strike Friday. But peer press
ure could force the husbands to
fthange their ways.
The first day or two it was
Haw, Haw, what a joke,’” said
jewelry worker Michael Larkin,
19. But ribbing from co-workers
nd additional pressure may
brce a settlement, Larkin said.
wives
love
union strikes, you can fire the
workers. But how do you fire a
wife?”
“It hasn’t come to the point
where any of the couples have
come to fistfights or anything,”
Larkin said.
“I went on strike for love,”
said Larkin’s wife of 14 months,
Brenda. “It’s more communica
tion, that’s what I mean by love
and affection. A lot of people
think 1 mean in the bedroom,
but I mean talking at night, a
little romance.”
For the men, the strike has
meant cold cuts for dinner, toast
for Sunday breakfast and sinks
piled with dirty dishes.
Some of the men feel their
Deregulation of your
telephone
...how will it
affect you
Deregulation. What does it mean to the nation’s telephone industry — and the customers it serves? All of
the hows,-whys and maybes are not determined, but here are answers to some often-asked questions.
The women went on strike to
rotest their husbands’ lack of
fection and attention and to
[get more help with the chores.
BThey said their complaints had
uildingw^one unheeded for months,
thecompi women and their kids
b Y re ™l ! re eted their husbands with
ance ‘f 1 pgns when they came home
ornvhile f roni wor k.
“When I came home, I drove
The ins
uldhavep# d own
my street and saw card-
y-related
: employ#
deral
nplaints,
it in fede
forcemeffll
iboard signs all over the place ■
Have You Hugged Your Wife
~oday?’ and ‘Mothers on Strike.’
hen I knew something was
;oming,” Larkin said.
The neighborhood revolt in
jthis rural northern Rhode Is
land town appeared to be at a
i^tandoff on Sunday.
“A mother’s day goes 24
ifiours with no appreciation, no
Affection and the husband com
ics home and lies on the couch —
there’s nothing there,” said
ploria Gangi, 25, one of the
t of Appt
^leaders of the wives’ strike.
iderthe
scriminan
“We sat down and discussed it
little last night, but I don’t
think either one of us is willing
to give in,” said her husband,
lifestyle is at stake.
“They clean up for them
selves, they clean up for the kids,
but when it comes to their hus
bands they say no,” he said.
“These women, 1 don’t know.”
“I’d say it’s at a standoff, be
cause a lot of the other guys are
saying we can cook and clean for
ourselves,” Larkin said. “I’ve al
ways been the independent
type.”
a<*r-M - '
TS-O
Prescriptions Filled
Glasses Repaired
BRYAN
216 N. Main 799-2786
Mon.-Fri. 8-5 Sat. 8-1
COLLEGE STATION
8008 Post Oak Mall.. 764-0010
Mon.-Sat. 10-9 p.m.
Texas State
Q. What is deregulation?
A. Simply, it’s the process of removing state and federal controls from many services provided by the
telecommunications industry. It means customers can select equipment and services in a competitive
market without regulation by a regulatory commission.
Q. When does it happen?
A. Deregulation isn’t new. Federal Communications Commission rulings over the past three decades have
allowed some competition in terminal equipment (telephones, multi-line systems, etc.) and in long-distance
services. But deregulation surfaced as a major public issue when the FCC mandated total deregulation of
new terminal equipment, effective January 1, 1983.
Q. Why does the FCC want the telephone industry to be deregulated?
A. The FCC believes competitive markets are most efficient. Deregulation — and competition — will
encourage new services and open more options to customers.
Actually, the FCC is but one of the driving forces behind deregulation. Congress, the Justice Department
and the Reagan Administration (like others before it) all are eager to deregulate the American telephone
business.
Q. What is GTE’s position regarding deregulation?
A. GTE feels that deregulation ultimately will benefit all concerned. Competition is the American way and
GTE expects to compete aggressively.
Q. Just what services will continue under regulation?
A. After January 1, the basic local and long-distance switching networks will continue to be regulated. So
will all in-place equipment on customer premises. New equipment will be excluded from regulation, as will
“enhanced” services, which combine basic service with computer processing to provide additional,
different or restructured information.
Q. How does this affect customers?
A. The big change is in lease and purchase arrangements for telephones, multi-line systems and other
equipment in a customer’s home or business.
After January 1, existing customers may continue to lease their phones from General Telephone. In
addition, they have the option of purchasing phones — either from General Telephone or another supplier.
New customers also will be able to buy phones anywhere they choose (including General Telephone). Cost
of equipment purchased by customers will be determined by the marketplace — not regulatory
commissions. Lease options also will be available to new customers, but again will be determined by the
marketplace — not the regulators.
There’s another important point. By definition, anyone who alters existing service will be classified as a new
customer. People who move from one residence to another — even though both are served by General
Telephone — would be considered new customers under deregulation guidelines.
Q. Will all customers be affected by deregulation?
A. No. The FCC’s order applies only to single-line service. Customers on multi-party lines may continue to
lease phones from General Telephone with all the traditional services. For a period after deregulation
begins, party line customers may have some options that will not be available after January 1, 1983 to
single-line customers.
Q. Will it affect the cost of telephone service?
A. Deregulation will have an impact on virtually every aspect of the telephone industry — including cost. It
should result in lower prices for some services and higher prices for others. The net effect of deregulation
— and the competition it creates — is that each product or service provided by General Telephone must
pay its own way, without subsidies from other segments of the business.
For example, revenues from various optional services have traditionally subsidized the cost of providing
basic local service. That ensured basic telephone service was affordable to nearly everyone. But
competition will force prices to more closely reflect the true cost of any service. Local rates probably will
rise; others may decrease. Either way, customers will be asked to pay for the cost of the services they use.
Q. So what are the benefits to the consumer?
A. With deregulation comes competition. With competition comes the suppliers’ desire to provide
customers with what they want, when they want it, resulting in many options, introduction of new
technology and keeping costs at the lowest possible level.
Q. Won’t there be a lot of people who will be unable to afford a
telephone?
A. GTE expects to help customers meet increases in telephone rates by phasing in certain options for flat
rate pricing, including Usage Sensitive Service (USS) which is a measured service.
General Telephone (SB